Goodbye Salmiya, A New Beginning in Toronto: My Unexpected Relocation Journey from Kuwait




My name is Farah Al-Mutairi, and I lived in Salmiya, Kuwait, for almost fourteen years.

Fourteen years of routines, friendships, familiar streets, and memories spread across the coastline of the Arabian Gulf.

If anyone had told me even a year ago that I would leave Kuwait — not for travel, not for studies, but permanently — I would have laughed.

But life rarely follows the script we write for it.


The Day Everything Shifted

It all started with my father’s retirement.
He lived alone in Hawally, and over the past year, I watched him slow down — physically, emotionally, and even socially. His friends had either moved away or grown too old to meet often. His days became quieter, his evenings longer.

My brother Saad, who lived in Toronto, kept insisting:
“Farah, bring him here. He needs us. And… you need a change too.”

I resisted at first. I loved my life in Kuwait:

  • My morning walks along Marina Beach

  • My favorite café in Salmiya

  • The comfort of my apartment

  • My job

  • My community

But then came my father’s mild stroke.
A moment that freezes you.
A moment that forces you to reconsider everything.

I knew then:
We had to move.
Not for convenience — but for survival, for family, for the years he had left.

And this is where everything became overwhelming.


Two Lives, Two Generations, One Big Move

Relocating abroad from Kuwait is not just packing boxes and booking flights — especially when moving with an elderly parent.

There were:

  • Medical reports

  • Prescription shipments

  • Fragile sentimental items

  • Furniture with years of memories

  • Emotional resistance

  • My father’s quiet fear of leaving Kuwait

  • My own fear of starting over at 38

I tried to plan the move alone.
But between caregiving, work, and paperwork…
I was drowning.

When I told my coworker Mariam about it, she said,
“Farah, don’t do this alone. Call ISS Relocations Kuwait. They handled my sister’s move to the UK like family.”

And just like that, a lifeline appeared.


The First Meeting With ISS Relocations Kuwait

When the relocation consultant Yousef stepped into my home, he didn’t start with checklists or measurements.
He looked at my father first — at his slow steps, his tired eyes — and softened his voice immediately.

“Uncle, we will take care of everything. You won’t need to worry.”

My father smiled — the first real smile since his stroke.

Yousef sat with us, asked about:

  • What items had emotional value

  • What we wanted to take to Toronto

  • What needed storage

  • What required special handling

  • Our travel dates

  • Medical equipment

  • Fragile items

He didn’t treat us like clients.
He treated us like a family that needed support.


Packing Day: A Slow, Emotional Goodbye

Packing a home you’ve lived in for over a decade is not just work — it’s grief.

Every item has a story:

  • The lamp I bought after my first salary

  • The porcelain tea set gifted by my grandmother

  • My father’s old radio

  • His handwritten Quran

  • The dining table where we shared hundreds of meals

The ISS Relocations Kuwait team handled each item with care I didn’t expect from a relocation company.

  • They wrapped fragile items twice

  • Built wooden crates for antiques

  • Packed medical devices safely

  • Labelled everything clearly

  • Asked before touching anything sentimental

  • Made sure my father felt included, not ignored

I watched them pack memories, one box at a time — gently, respectfully.


A Visa Delay, A Panic Attack, and a Solution I Didn’t Know I Needed

Just when everything seemed to be under control…
our Canadian visas were suddenly delayed.

Our apartment lease was ending.
The shipment was scheduled.
My father was confused.
And I felt like everything was spiraling again.

I called ISS Relocations Kuwait with shaking hands.

Before I even finished explaining, Yousef said:

“Farah, don’t worry. We’ll store your belongings safely until your visas are issued. Focus on your father. We’ll take care of the rest.”

And they did.

Their secure storage facility in Kuwait became our temporary anchor — climate-controlled, clean, and monitored.

In a time where everything felt uncertain, they gave us stability.


Departure Day — A Quiet, Emotional Journey

When our visas were finally approved, ISS coordinated the entire international relocation:

  • Export documents

  • Packing lists

  • Shipping arrangements

  • Customs clearance from Kuwait

  • Destination coordination in Toronto

  • Tracking updates

On the day we left, my father stood quietly at Kuwait International Airport, looking back at a country he spent 72 years in.

He whispered,
“Allah yjazeekum khair. They made this easy for me.”

It broke me and comforted me at the same time.


Arriving in Toronto — With a Piece of Kuwait

When our shipment arrived in Canada, I expected damages — it felt impossible for everything to survive such a long journey.

But every item, from my father’s Quran to my delicate glass décor, was intact.

The ISS partner team helped set up our new apartment in Toronto.
Within hours, the space felt less foreign.

When my father saw his old radio placed on the bedside table, he smiled again — a real, warm smile I thought I’d lost forever.

In that moment, I realized:

We didn’t just relocate.
We carried home with us.


What This Move Really Taught Me

International relocation is not about shipping belongings.
It’s about:

  • Leaving behind a life you built

  • Carrying memories across continents

  • Protecting the emotional comfort of family

  • Facing fear

  • Starting over

ISS Relocations Kuwait didn’t just provide moving services —
they provided humanity, respect, and a level of care my family desperately needed.

They didn’t move our items.
They moved our life, safely and gently.


Final Reflection

If someone ever asks me about my relocation from Kuwait, I won’t talk about boxes or containers.

I will talk about:

  • The compassion shown to my father

  • The patience shown to me

  • The calm they brought to a chaotic chapter of my life

  • The feeling of not being alone in a life-changing decision

And that is why my relocation story isn’t just about leaving Kuwait —
it’s about leaving with peace.

A peace I couldn’t have found without ISS Relocations Kuwait.

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